Issue 10, 2017

Syngas production from electrochemical reduction of CO2: current status and prospective implementation

Abstract

The CO2 that comes from the use of fossil fuels accounts for about 65% of the global greenhouse gas emission, and it plays a critical role in global climate changes. Among the different strategies that have been considered to address the storage and reutilization of CO2, the transformation of CO2 into chemicals or fuels with a high added-value has been considered a winning approach. This transformation is able to reduce the carbon emission and induce a “fuel switching” that exploits renewable energy sources. The aim of this brief review is to gather and critically analyse the main efforts that have been made and achievements that have been made in the electrochemical reduction of CO2 for the production of CO. The main focus is on the prospective of exploiting the intrinsic nature of the electrolysis process, in which CO2 reduction and H2 evolution reactions can be combined, into a competitive approach, to produce syngas. Several well-established processes already exist for the generation of fuels and fine-chemicals from H2/CO mixtures of different ratios. Hence, the different kinds of electrocatalysts and electrochemical reactors that have been used for the CO and H2 evolution reactions have been analysed, as well as the main factors that influence the performance of the system from the thermodynamic, kinetic and mass transport points of view.

Graphical abstract: Syngas production from electrochemical reduction of CO2: current status and prospective implementation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Critical Review
Submitted
06 Feb 2017
Accepted
02 May 2017
First published
02 May 2017

Green Chem., 2017,19, 2326-2346

Syngas production from electrochemical reduction of CO2: current status and prospective implementation

S. Hernández, M. Amin Farkhondehfal, F. Sastre, M. Makkee, G. Saracco and N. Russo, Green Chem., 2017, 19, 2326 DOI: 10.1039/C7GC00398F

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements